At the Alibi you can eat breakfast — even a classic Hangtown Fry — at the padded bar. The establishment was recently remodeled to add an extra room, but without spoiling the bar’s character.

We returned to this cozy spot recently to stay overnight, and to get new photos of the cozy padded bar.

Advertises itself as “the brightest spot of nightlife in Prunedale,” of which there can be no doubt. Pleasant curved bar, with both rail and knee padding.

This very special Mexican (or “Spanish,” as the vintage sign would have it) restaurant  has been in Guadalupe since 1944, but had to close down for a few years due to seismic retrofitting and rewiring. Much to our pleasant surprise, it re-opened at the end of 2015.

The Quiroga family has lovingly maintained the original menu and pretty much everything else about the place, including the diner-style counter,  the historic range, the napkin holders, and — best of all — “Pancho’s Hideaway” in back.

No doubt, La Simpatia will again be popular as a location for filming movies and TV commercials, as it has in the past. Here’s a scene from the 2001 movie Cowboy Up with Molly Ringwald and Kiefer Sutherland sitting at the counter.

More placeholder images of an incredible cocktail lounge that opened in 1962. (But we’ll visit there before long, for sure.)

The Sip ‘n’ Dip seems to have it all: padding galore, Tiki drinks, “Piano Pat,” and even mermaids. If this isn’t heaven, heaven can wait.

You can see Piano Pat play and watch the mermaids swim on the Sip ‘n’ Dip Facebook page.

No padding on the rail of this modern bar, but still nice to see the vinyl, Naugahyde, leather, or whatever it is!

Unfortunately, we arrived too late to get a drink here, and could only snatch this iPhone shot. The combination of a nicely padded bar rail and low chairs is unusual and looks very comfortable.

A friendly, rural bar/restaurant. (Facebook page.)